Def Leper

Cornwalls do not require high current, that's the whole point of a high efficiency loudspeaker. 1 watt = 1 amp at 1 volt. An 8-ohm Cornwall circuit should have about the same current at any given wattage input as any other 8-ohm speaker, but it will produce more sound than less efficient speakers. Tom, I play my Cornwalls with both low-power tube amplification and high-power solid state, and they sound great with both. They should work well with your Marantz.

At least that 10K cd player will probably do a good job playing CD's. Here's an absolute waste of $200-- The Bedini Clarifier. Living proof that some audiophiles are dumb as a bag of hammers. "After several intensive years of research, Bedini has developed the new Ultra Clarifier "Quadri Beam". Now with four beams, nearly twice the rotation speed and improved timing processing, you can expect the very best treatment available. The new "Quadri Beam" extracts even more information, which has to date, still been masked by the discs inherent problems in how the information is retrieved. If you are an owner of the previous Ultra Clarifier "Dual Beam" then you can expect to relive the experience again. We guarantee you will be listening to every disc you own as least one more time. With Bedinis patented beam configuration, there is nothing on the market that can compare to the total listening experience you will instantly hear after treatment. Bedini has aligned four patented electromagnetic beams that penetrate the disc during rotation; in addition to this the rotation speed has been increased for an even dispersion of the specialized beams. What this means is that you can expect far more hidden information to be retrieved. The patented processes ability to reduce the noise floor even further, allows you to enhance your listening pleasure to the extreme. If you are a audiophile or home theater enthusiast you can now truly experience the reality of the recorded media on any disc format. With the use of the new Ultra Clarifier "Quadri Beam" all pictures will be brighter and sharper, audio is crisper and cleaner. With its patented Electro Magnetic Beam Configuration, the Clarifier polarizes the polymer in such a way as to maximize the laser's ability to retrieve stored data. By using the Ultra Clarifier "Quadri Beam" to treat your CD's before playing, you will discover a distinct improvement in video and audio quality. Independent reviewers have praised the qualities of the Ultra Clarifier and anyone who has an investment in their audio/video system should not be without this superior technical solution. This is the only electromagnetic product designed specifically to treat and enhance all forms of CD media. Experience sound and picture so real you'll think that you've upgraded all your components. You owe it to yourself to take a test spin on the new Ultra Clarifier "Quadri Beam" . We guarantee the results will be the most impressive forty seconds in your audio/video experience. "

You're living in a dream world. I've heard literally thousands of music systems and have never heard a single one that can accurately reproduce (you say recreate) the sound of a complex instrument like the piano sitting in the same space. Not one, and that includes some systems that cost as much as a house. Some are bad, some are good, and some are outstanding, but none come close to the real thing. If you think they can, you need to get out and listen to real instruments. I'll repeat. Choosing the best (or better) is purely subjective. Your choice may not match mine, for many different reasons.

Yes indeed, if Bush was a woman, he'd be a blond.

Most people don't think about this blind test. Being able to hear a "difference" between components and choosing which one sounds "best" are two different beasties. Hearing a "difference" is a fairly objective exercise, but determining the nature of the difference is another matter. Is it bass response, clarity, distortion? That's where training comes into play. Choosing the "best" (or better) is purely subjective. Nothing more and nothing less. Don't fall for the idea that an audiophile can determine what is best for you. When you get the equpment home, the audiphile's ears will not be there. You'll have to listen to it with your ears. Pick equipment to suit your own ears and tastes. There are so many factors that can also affect the test (placement and setup of speakers, room treatment, seating position) that these tests, in my opinion, are utterly meaningless.

Look at the bright side.... The people who drove into this mess and ended up with flat tires could console themselves while waiting for the tow truck. Not so with the canyonesque pot holes and sheet metal scrap debris we get in the Detroit area. All they can do is stand around in the rain and wait to be robbed by the locals.

"For the first time ever, the rear of the speaker has received a cosmetic facelift. Solid panels now enclose the rear high frequency and low frequency cabinets to add a more elegant appearance, eliminate any corner and response issues and allow for toe in or out. " In other words, additions have been made that: Are not visible when in use Add unneccesary weight Do not add any audible value to a properly set up system Inflate the cost of the system without improving the performance or appearance What's so elegant about the back side of a speaker that must be placed in a corner to work? Why would you be worried about toe on a bass cabinet? Isn't a positionable mid-hi section what you need to adjust toe? How can adding panels eliminate response issues created by an unknown corner? That's engineering double talk for "The marketing people made me do it." Proof that Paul is dead. Koo koo ka choo.

I never ceased to be amazed at how much rich "suckers" are willing to dump on the snake oil sellers to have "the best." Audiophiles seem to have elevated it to the level of mental illness. I recently had the misfortune to have to listen to one of these megabucks systems with huge, ugly speakers hooked up with what looked like welding cable to a box in the middle of the floor. The only thing that impressed me was the prices this guy was quoting, the sound was not even up to par with my Cornwalls. But that was the point, wasn't it? The prices? Unfortunately for him, my overall impression was that he was an idiot with no ear for music or sound. Since I was drinking his booze, though, I just smiled and told him how pretty all the stuff is.

If they were owned by Michael Dell, I bet with the right coupon code you can get them for $300. They would look better if they had Frigidaire tags on them. [] When you see these big speakers painted up, that means a man owned them and a woman disowned them.

I always used to be amazed at the bizarre things that some people in religous cults believed until I started getting into hi-fi. The level of hogwash, baloney, and downright criminal snake oil in audio is simply outrageous. If you ever wonder where those people went when they closed down all the state hospitals, read some articles in Audiophile.

I love the guy farther down the list who wants to buy your Klipshorns for $1000 a pair, your Belles for $500/pr, your Cornwalls or LaScalas for $300 a pair. How generous. No doubt you'd see them the next day on ebay for three times as much.

Nothing I've ever heard of that will do this effectively. I suppose you could come up with a program that would analyze relative loudness of different CD's in the digital domain and store an index number by CD (and track if you wanted it) that could be used to adjust relative levels during playback, but to do it in real time is pretty hard. Big jukebox CD players could add this feature pretty easily, and allow the user to program a relative loudness rating for each CD, which would allow the output of the player to be adjusted to compensate for volume differences, but what about CD's with both quiet tracks and loud tracks on the same CD? The radio station devices you refer to are compressor/limiters, and they are one of the reasons why radio sounds so bad to people with discerning ears. The idea is to destroy dynamic range and keep signals at a high average output, which keeps the transmitted signal as efficient as possible. You can hear it clearly when there are passages with fairly loud sounds separated by little or no sound, when the noise floor is amplified between loud sounds, or when quieter instruments change volume as louder instruments come in. This is called pumping and really destroys the listening experience.

No, it's a bit too heavy to have come on a roll, but I was surprised that it didn't have Denny's menu printed on it.

I recently purchased a used turntable that came with a Ringmat Developments record mat that costs $100 and is, essentially, a disk of heavy paper with some small rings of cork on either side, three on one side and two on the other side. The whole thing is utterly amateur and rediculous but I have no doubt that anyone dumb enough to pay that much money for one would say it improved the sound. It couldn't have cost more than a dollar or two to produce and a striking feature of the company's web site is..... no pictures. What a surprise!!

Guess I'm lucky. There's not a job, opportunity or financial benefit on earth that is worth giving up my bride of 27 years for.

CD-- Narnia Soundtrack, Erich Kunzel Ein Straussfest II, Herb Alpert "Going Places" LP-- Stevie Wonder "In Square Circle", Earl Klugh "Life Stories", Bee Gees "Spirit Having Flown" all three still sealed, not cutouts.

I'm sure not impressed. I bought my RS-35's and RC-35 as demo models from my local Klipsch dealer and paid about $150 less than those Klipsch ebay store refurbs are selling for-- and mine have the full factory warranty instead of a measly 90 days that Klipsch gives you on refurbs. On top of that, I got to see and listen to them first, which you can't do over the internet.

Must be the chapped hands.

Not when you get hit by the guy driving your old jeep. You'll be the thing cut in half.

Ten Ways to Improve American Idol 1. When a contestant is voted off, send them to fight in Iraq. That'll get a sincere performance out of 'em. 2. Count notes during the performance. If they fail to hit the required 3000 notes in 1.5 minutes, make them spend a night in the motel with Paula. 3. Make them sing at least one song in the nude. No, scratch that. Those three hundred pounders are convinced they have talent, so they are probably convinced they are attractive, too. 4. Dig up a different dead rock star each episode to prop up there as a guest judge. I suspect John Lenon or Jim Morrison can draw bigger numbers dead than their current guest judges do alive. 5. Cancel it and not show any reruns. 6. Make a terrorist version with Osama and al-Jarkawi as judges. I'm sure the favorite event among audiences will be the suicide bomb event, but I suggest they run that as the last event of every show. This show will stay much fresher because they will need to have new contestants every week. Hint: If they ask for volunteers from the audience, don't hold up your hand. 7. Bring back talent show mainstays like "The Hook" and trap door. 8. Ditch the guest judges and add Triumph the insult comic dog as the regular third judge. 9. Have the contestants sing at least one song in a completely soundproof booth. That will make it easier to concentrate on checking out their bods without the distraction of the sound of a cat being strangled. 10. Alternate the regular show with one where the contestants judge the judges on their judging ability and vote off the worst one. Abdul will be first to go but no doubt she'll keep coming back until she realizes they won't pay her.

78's aren't "virtually indestructible," they're very easy to damage. Needles were designed to be used only once and then tossed, and came in different loudness grades. That's why you usually see at least two needle bowls (for differnet loudness grades) with a disposal cup, a capped metal cup with a small hole for dumping used needles. Edison records are vertically vectored (diaphragm parallel to the record surface) and Victors are horizontally vectored. (diaphragm perpendicular to the surface in line with the groove.) Edison players were very high quality but didn't do well in the market because of the high cost. Later, many players were outfitted with dual reproducers that could be flipped to play both Edison and Victor disks. Edison disks are easy to tell from Victors because they are twice as thick. Generally you see several hundred to a thousand or more Victor disks on the market for each Edison. External horn players are generally older and more valuable than newer players. Oak cabinets were usually the cheapest but seem to be very popular today. Better players had more than one motor (the metal drum with the spring inside) and very nice players often had three motors. Gold plated metal parts and fancy carved cabinets also indicate better quality units.

I picked up a TD125 MK-II that is in good working condition but in need of a good cleanup and upgrade. It has the stock Thorens arm with a satanic AT-666 cartridge. I plan to build a new base cabinet and would like to upgrade the arm and cartridge. Any suggestions on what to look for? I'm playing mostly stereo LP's and would like to keep the cost of the arm and cart under $1K. I like the Empire-style cabinets and plan to build one of that type, but a bit oversize and integrated onto a granite surface plate.

Contributing half the profits to the Salvation Army might help relieve some of the guilt you should feel for not bothering to pay the taxes on this substantial capital gain, and do something good for the community at the same time. []

No contest on any disc I've checked. On those that let me switch between Dolby and DTS on the fly, when the DTS kicks in, it's a very noticable improvement in quality.

The only thing related to American Idol I've ever seen is when Triumph the insult comic dog visited the tryouts in Hawaii, and also when he insulted both Simon and whats-her-name outside of the Emmy's. I figure that was the high point for the show, so why bother actually watching one? All right, all right, I was tempted to watch an episode once in a hotel room but opening the minibar and watching the little Coke cans sweat turned out to be more fun.